The number of University of Minnesota students with diagnosed mental health conditions has jumped sharply since 2015, making it the top health issue on campus, according to a student survey released this week.
The survey also revealed that nearly two in five female students have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime.
The survey, directed by Boynton Health, is conducted every three years to help the student health service address key concerns affecting students on the Twin Cities campus.
More than 42 percent of the students responding to the survey reported a mental health diagnosis in 2018 — a 29 percent jump from those surveyed in 2015. The increase was higher for female students, with nearly half (48 percent) reporting a mental health condition in their lifetime — a 39 percent jump from 2015.
Twenty years ago, one in five students had been diagnosed with a mental health condition, said Gary Christenson, Boynton Health's chief medical officer. Now it's two in five, with anxiety and depression as the most frequent diagnoses.
The increases have meant a steady demand for mental health services. In 2017, the Boynton mental health clinic logged 4,846 therapy visits from the first day of class through Nov. 19. That number hit 6,059 during a similar period this year — a 25 percent increase.
To accommodate the rising numbers over the last decade, Boynton Health has doubled its mental health staff — and it now outnumbers the primary care staff, Christenson said.
The survey doesn't pinpoint the reasons behind the increases in diagnoses. It could be that awareness of mental health issues has increased while the stigma decreased, so more people seek help, Christenson said. In addition, he said, it could be that more students with mental health conditions can now navigate college.